A MOVE into the semiconductor market is paying off for x-ray instruments specialist Bede.

The business, based on the Belmont Business Park on the outskirts of Durham, has seen its revenues grow by nine per cent to £5m in the nine months to September 30.

About 63 per cent of that total was achieved through the company's successful entry into the semiconductor manufacturing market.

The nine-month period saw Bede sign a deal with Japanese firm Tokyo Electron for new products for the semiconductor industry.

However, the group still recorded pre-tax losses of £2.5m in the nine-month period, compared to losses of £300,000 in the same period of last year.

Neil Loxley, chief executive of Bede, put the increased losses down to the a poor trading climate and the group's investment in new products and infrastructure.